Plastic bags

Less than a 10th of all the plastic ever made has been recycled, and governments should consider banning or taxing single-use bags or food containers to stem a tide of pollution, a U.N. report said on Tuesday, U.N. World Environment Day. The study, billed as the most comprehensive review of government action to curb single-use plastics, said up to five trillion plastic bags were used worldwide each year. Spread out side-by-side, they would cover an area twice the size of France. “The scourge of plastic has reached every corner of the Earth,” Erik Solheim, head of U.N. Environment, wrote in the report, compiled with the Indian government and launched along with a slogan: “If you can’t reuse it, refuse it.” “Only 9 percent of the 9 billion tons of plastic the world has ever produced has been recycled,” the report said. “Most ends up in landfills, dumps or in the environment.” China is the biggest source of plastic packaging waste, … [Read more...] about Ban plastic bags? UN seeks to cut pollution as recycling falls short

A whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, officials said, ending an attempted rescue that failed to nurse the mammal back to health. Thailand is one of the world’s largest consumers of plastic bags, which kill hundreds of marine creatures living near the country’s popular beaches each year. The small male pilot whale became the latest victim after it was found barely alive in a canal near the border with Malaysia, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said on their Facebook page on Saturday. A veterinary team tried “to help stabilise its illness but finally the whale died” on Friday afternoon, the post said. An autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags weighing up to eight kilograms in the creature’s stomach, the department added. Photos accompanying the post showed a group of people using buoys to keep the whale afloat after it was first spotted on Monday and an umbrella to shield it from the scorching sun. The … [Read more...] about Whale dies after swallowing 80 plastic bags

A whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, officials said, ending an attempted rescue that failed to nurse the mammal back to health. Thailand is one of the world’s largest consumers of plastic bags, which kill hundreds of marine creatures living near the country’s popular beaches each year. The small male pilot whale became the latest victim after it was found barely alive in a canal near the border with Malaysia, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said on their Facebook page on Saturday. A veterinary team tried “to help stabilise its illness but finally the whale died” on Friday afternoon, the post said. An autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags weighing up to eight kilograms in the creature’s stomach, the department added. Photos accompanying the post showed a group of people using buoys to keep the whale afloat after it was first spotted on Monday and an umbrella to shield it from the scorching sun. The … [Read more...] about Whale dies in Thailand after swallowing 80 plastic bags

IUCN’s Marine and Coastal resource programme co-ordinator Bui Thi Thu Hien said the communication campaign, which is scheduled for May 15 to June 1, aims to raise awareness among islanders and tourists of the need to create clean and safe marine areas for sea turtles returning to the island. She said the programme will encourage hotel owners and tour operators to commit to providing free drink water for tourists when visiting the islands as part of the initiative ‘Refill, Not Landfill’. The campaign also wants to send a message ‘Down 1 bottle, Save the Future’, to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags to save the ocean from plastic pollution. Last year, IUCN, with financial support from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and in collaboration with Ly Son island district, debuted a collection of 30 murals with the theme ‘I love the ocean, and I’m born to be wild’ in An Binh islet commune, focusing on protecting the marine turtle, a … [Read more...] about Ly Son islanders urged not to use plastic bags, straws

Plastic bags captured near the RCA entertainment district on Kamphaeng Phet 7 Road, Thailand.(Source: Bangkok Post) Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Government is considering a levy on plastic bags to reduce their consumption and pollution. Other alternatives to address the plastic issue include making thinner ones and using biodegradable bags. These options are part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) expected to be signed between the country’s Finance Ministry and the Thai Retailers Association. Under the pact, a steering committee on the issue will be established. The sides will discuss the matter at their upcoming meeting next week. Of 27.4 million tonnes of waste Thailand discharged into the environment last year, two million tonnes were plastic. Plastic bags accounted for 13 percent of marine litter in 2015, well above the figures for food packaging (8 percent) and straws (10 percent). According to date of the Environmental Quality Promotion Department, … [Read more...] about Plastic bags likely to be taxed in Thailand